I mentioned way back in Battel Tendency that I had a reason for keeping Wamuu alive. Well it's been revealed why in this story, so now let's bring the big guy back, shall we? Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Evangelion, or Anarchy Reigns.
Cruel Angel's Thesis Chapter 23: Breaking Business
Things had been going pretty well in the wake of NERV's latest success. Shinji and Asuka had officially moved into their own dorm, as had Rei and Kaworu. Most of the island was starting to look brighter with the major renovations to regions NERV now controlled. But as Gendo looked out at the sickly white metropolis that SEELE still controlled, he couldn't help but feel nervous. "You'd think Lorenz wouldn't take these losses sitting down. He has to have something more up his sleeve, or else he wouldn't write off everything that's happened to him as 'setbacks'."
A sudden call on the network interrupted his thoughts. "Yes?" 'We have a visitor, sir,' came Hyuga's voice. "Who exactly?" 'I'm not sure, the camera is only picking up refracted light. But he claims to be here to see his daughter.' Gendo chuckled. Obviously it was Wamuu, having used his Wind Mode to create a protective barrier to block the sun rays, like the SPF One-Million. The technique had the added affect of hiding him from view, and with his superior senses the loss of sight was no issue. "Let him in. And be sure to let Naoko know her husband has arrived."
Shigeru had seen some weird things since he started his job. But seeing a six foot bronzed Aztec statue come to life devour an entire roast chicken, bones and all, in a single bite really took the cake for him. As it happened, Joseph Joestar had been stopping by to check out how things were progressing. Seems the two of them went way back. "Sorry if I look so old," Joseph said, "But what with my business and family matters I haven't had much time to practice my Hamon." Wamuu gave a warm smile. "It's fine. Even Gigan can grow old as they start to live past the hundred-thousand year mark."
He looked to his daughter. "I came here because I felt the ambient air on the island was showing heavy signs of ionization. It seems you've discovered your ultimate attack." Rei smiled. "All that training really paid off." "But it is creepy seeing her spine pop out of her back when she uses it," Maya noted, a nervous grin on her face. Joseph laughed. "That's not even scrapping the surface! Pure-blooded Gigans have such control over their bodies they can safely expose vital organs without them drying out or getting infected!"
Ritsuko was still gaping at how huge her step-father was. She'd heard the stories, but now she was less concerned with the concept of Gigan reproduction versus human reproduction and more on the manner in which her mother survived sex with Wamuu. "You know," Joseph said, "I remember asking Santana how Gigans reproduce. He never gave me an answer, instead brushing me off to focus on his own curiosity." "He might not have known the nature of your question," Wamuu suggested, "Santana was only ten-thousand years old at the time of his death, barely a pre-teen by human standards."
"That makes sense," Joseph noted, "He took more time than you, Kars, and Esidisi to grasp English enough to speak it fluently, so his intelligence, while superior to humans, was likely inferior to older Gigans." Shinji then remembered something Josuke had told him. "Weren't Gigans originally referred to as Pillar Men?" "That's because Santana had fallen asleep in Mexico, inside a stone pillar," Wamuu clarified, "While me and my late masters fell asleep in Rome, just under the Colosseum. As the Nazis had no other name for our kind other than 'Pillar Men', they kept referring to us as such."
Later, the group was in briefing for the next major plan. "Right now NERV is in control of the majority of Zero Point," Gendo said, "But knowing SEELE, they still have an Ace or two up their sleeves. We can't rest on our laurels until the final battle is finished. To that end, we need to start dismantling all of SEELE's remaining operations. Leave them with as little resources as possible. Our first step is to finish off Oinkie's business dealings. We know he still has a few holding in the metro region, so we'll simply swoop in and finish them off."
His gaze turned concerned. "We also need to remember that the last few Angels are due to arrive in the coming days. And these ones will be the toughest of them all. The Dead Sea Scrolls spoke of their overwhelming power, both physical and mental. This is where the Marathon begins. One slip up and… Well, I'm sure you all know the stakes." The pilots nodded. "The next couple weeks are going to be the most crucial," Keebo noted, "But let's take things one step at a time. We can't leave any loose ends that could lead to retaliation." Shinji stood up. "Then let's get started."
'Thus far everything is proceeding as we intended,' the mysterious voice said to Lorenz during the meeting, 'The pilots… They didn't even suspect the Trojan Horse strategy. Fei Rin's natural disposition certainly helped.' "Good," Lorenz said, "When we finally make our move, we will have plenty of muscle. NERV has plenty of resources, and we need extra frontline fighters to deal with their armed guard." He switched communication to Oinkie. "Have your businesses been annulled as planned?" 'Most of them,' Oinkie reported, 'I left a few token businesses open so things wouldn't look suspicious when NERV comes calling.'
Lorenz nodded. "Smart thinking. By the time they realize anything is amiss, we will be ready. The time has come to unveil our own EVA units. We will prove their effectiveness when the Fourteenth Angel makes its appearance." Just then, smashing could be heard. "Looks like it's show time. Remember to put up a fight. They may decide to kill you outright if they suspect anything is amiss." 'Got it Boss,' Oinkie said before cutting communication. Lorenz turned to the rest of his inner circle. "The time for our final operation is at hand. Have the outer circle bring in their private forces. The time to tip our hand has arrived."
Keebo smashed through the Berserker Mutant Oinkie had brought to attack the group, while Shinji dealt with Oinkie directly. The Juice made Oinkie strong, but it relied on an electrical system, which Shinji could exploit with his Stand. "Time to fry some bacon!," he called out, "Cruel Angel's Thesis!" His Stand charged to its maximum output, without causing damage to Shinji's soul, and lit up the area, tearing through Oinkie's delivery system, shorting it out and rendering him unconscious. Aigis approached. "Something is amiss. Most of Oinkie's businesses have already been dissolved." Shinji frowned. "I think I know SEELE's plans," Keebo said, "And I know someone who can deal with such a situation, should it arise."
Now SEELE is playing the scorched earth tactic, losing ground just to buy time. We'll see soon enough just how this works out for them. Read and review.
